UPDATE 1-UN

Security Council to discuss peacekeepers for Mali

January 30, 2013|Reuters

* UN had been uncomfortable with idea until Franceintervened

* Too early to deploy blue helmets now, conflict not over

(Adds background on Susan Rice)

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Councilwill soon begin discussing a possible United Nationspeacekeeping force for Mali, an idea the world body had beenuncomfortable with before France's recent military intervention,envoys said on Wednesday.

Last month, the 15-nation council approved an African-ledforce for Mali that likely would have been funded and trained bythe European Union. That force would not have begun operationsuntil late this year against Islamist militants who took controlof a vast region of northern Mali last year.

However, France's military intervention this month againstthe militants in the West African nation rendered that planmoot, diplomats said.

"There is increasing talk of moving straight to a U.N.peacekeeping operation," a senior Western diplomat said oncondition of anonymity. Another diplomat and a U.N. officialconfirmed that, saying the discussions would begin within days.

It is an issue that U.S. Ambassador to the United NationsSusan Rice first mentioned last week during a Security Councilmeeting. Other council members are now warming to the idea, thediplomats and U.N. officials said.

Deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force would requireSecurity Council approval. Another option would be to send in anAfrican Union force mandated by the council with logistical andother support from the United Nations, similar to the AU'sSomalia mission.

Washington favors a U.N. mission rather than an AU force,diplomats said.

Details would have to be worked out but one idea floated wasfor U.N. peacekeeping force of some 3,000 to 5,000 troops,diplomats said. They noted, however, that since thethree-week-old conflict is continuing, it is still too early todeploy peacekeepers.

"There's no peace to keep yet," said one diplomat. "We'restill in the peace-enforcement phase."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had been uncomfortable withdirect U.N. involvement in the proposed African-led operation,diplomats said, because it would have been an offensive combatmission - not peacekeeping.

But now that the French-backed Malian army has retaken mostof the desert nation's cities, the possibility of deploying U.N.peacekeepers has become less remote, the envoys said.

They said a U.N. peacekeeping force would offer certainadvantages over the African-led force approved by the councillast month. Funding would be clear, it would be easier tomonitor human rights compliance and the United Nations couldchoose which national contingents to use in the force.

Many of the African troops already in Mali supporting theFrench and Malian militaries could theoretically remain andbecome part of a U.N. peacekeeping force, one diplomat said.

It is an idea France would likely support. Prime MinisterJean-Marc Ayrault said on Tuesday that Paris would favor a quickdeployment of international monitors to Mali to ensure humanrights are not abused.